SLO County Roundup

A San Luis Obispo man was sentenced Tuesday to two years in state prison after being convicted in August of possessing child pornography, illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

David Lemus, 56, did not speak at the sentencing, prosecutors said.

He was arrested in June 2008 after authorities found sexually explicit images of young children on his computer, and he was convicted on Aug. 6 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

Sign Up and Save

He was immediately taken into custody and now must register as a sex offender.

— Nick Wilson

Atascadero

The Charles Paddock Zoo is holding its first Conservation Celebration on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.

Local fair-trade and eco-friendly vendors will be on site. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about conservation and recycling and how they relate to endangered animals throughout the world.

Zookeepers will discuss how community members can make a difference and talk about what the Charles Paddock Zoo does every day to help conservation efforts here and abroad.

Central Coast Seafood is sponsoring the event.

— AnnMarie Cornejo

South County

The ConocoPhillips oil refinery on the Nipomo Mesa has donated $30,000 to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.

The money will be used for environmental science programs for students in San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties. These include guided field trips to Oso Flaco Lake to provide students with hands-on science education experiences.

“With these funds, we will increase our efforts to educate underserved youth in the local Central Coast community through our after-school and summer education programs,” said Mario Castellanos, Dunes Center director. “We will also increase educational opportunities at the visitor center in Guadalupe.”

The Dunes Center promotes the conservation and restoration of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, which stretch from Pismo Beach to Point Sal.

The center and the refinery have an ongoing partnership that also includes providing staff volunteers to assist center activities and special events, Castellanos said.

Read Next

Snow on the mountains didn’t show up in SLO County, California, on Thursday, though frost was spotted in the Santa Margarita area. The weather forecast for the Central Coast shows rain next week into March.